Neurology Alert – April 1, 2024

Post-Traumatic Epilepsy and the Risk of Dementia

A subset of people with head injury will develop post-traumatic epilepsy (PTE). This prospective cohort study demonstrated a 4.5-fold increased risk of dementia in those with PTE compared to people without head trauma or epilepsy, and that this risk exceeds that observed in people with head trauma or epilepsy alone.

Timing of Biomarker Changes in Alzheimer’s Disease

In a longitudinal multicenter, nested case-control study of cognitive normal participants from China, the time courses of key Alzheimer’s disease biomarkers were identified during the 20 years preceding clinical diagnosis of sporadic Alzheimer’s disease.

MRI for the Evaluation of Inflammatory Myopathy

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of large muscles is an important adjunctive diagnostic test for inflammatory myopathies, in conjunction with serum muscle enzymes and electrophysiology. MRI also can identify the highest-yielding section of muscle to target a muscle biopsy.

Comparing Patients with Early vs. Late-Onset Multiple Sclerosis

A recent retrospective study, combining data from a United Kingdom patient registry with a United Kingdom neuropathology tissue bank, showed that late-onset multiple sclerosis (MS), referring to disease onset after age 50 years, is linked with increased disability and quicker progression compared to MS onset at a younger age, and has distinct pathological features.

Glymphatic and Lymphatic Functions in Patients with Chronic Migraine

Patients with chronic migraine have dysfunction of their glymphatic and meningeal lymphatic systems, which may play a role in the pathogenesis of migraine.